Carson City man gets up to 10 years for forgery attempt

A 52-year-old Carson City man was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison Tuesday morning in district court for attempting to forge $100 bills in a bathroom.Judge James Wilson sentenced Gregory Pugh to 4-10 years on the first count, attempted establishing or possessing of a financial forgery lab, and to 15 months to five years on the second count, possessing a forged instrument or bill. “I’m not denying I made the money. I did,” Pugh told Wilson. “It’s up to you, your honor. I just ask for a chance. I want to prove to myself and the court I can be a productive citizen.”Deputy District Attorney Melanie Porter entered two pictures of Pugh attempting to forge the bills into evidence.“It’s important for the court to see the defendant in the height of his criminal activity,” she said. “He is not a person the court should take any chance on.”Porter cited Pugh’s criminal record of 10 past offenses, mostly involving theft or violence.Pugh’s attorney, Richard Davies, said there are people in the community who love and care for Pugh. He added that Pugh was manufacturing the bills to buy drugs from a cartel.“He takes full responsibility,” Davies said. He argued that Pugh is suffering from an advanced case of Hepatitis C, a liver disease, and that a lengthy prison term will be the death of him.“It’s almost certain he would leave through the back door, not the front door” of the prison, Davies said. “I’m purely asking for your grace for an in-patient drug treatment program.”DUI diversionJudge James Wilson allowed Mathew Hancock to enter into the DUI diversion program after Hancock had been arrested on DUI third offense, a felony.“He is seeing a counselor twice a week,” the defense told the judge. Hancock told Wilson he knows he cannot take back the past.“I know I’ve done wrong in the past and I can’t change that, but I want to do better in the future. I’d just like to stay with my job and counseling,” Hancock said.Wilson said he considers three things when a DUI case comes before him and that Hancock will receive the benefit of the program.Hancock was pulled over for not having a front license plate and not using a turn signal. “It’s not egregious driving,” Wilson said. Hancock’s blood test showed him to be at a 0.12 blood-alcohol content; the legal limit for drivers is 0.08 percent.Wilson said, “.12 is up there, but I’ve seen worse.” Besides the past two DUI charges and a possession-of-marijuana charge, Hancock had no other charges on his record.“I think you are the kind of person the Legislature had in mind when it started this (DUI diversion) program,” Wilson said. Wilson finally bid Hancock farewell.“Good luck in the program,” he said.Attempted burglaryJeremy Hansen, 21, of Incline Village pleaded guilty in Tuesday morning in district court to attempted burglary following a Jan. 6 incident at a house on Utah Street. Hansen knocked on the front door of the house before attempting to enter through the door to the garage. The female resident, who was taking care of her 6-day-old child at the time, heard noises in her garage. When she approached the door, Hansen opened it and seemed surprised, according to the arrest report. When she asked what he was doing, he said her husband had given him permission to retrieve a tool from the garage before walking away. Deputies went to Hansen’s residence, where he was arrested after being identified by the resident. Sentencing was set for April 16.